2 Days in the Valley (1996)

2 Days in the Valley (1996) is a darkly humorous American film by writer-director John Herzfeld. Two hired killers, Lee Woods and Dosmo Pizzo, enter a bedroom and find a sleeping couple: Olympic athlete Becky Foxx and her ex-husband Roy Foxx. After injecting Becky with a tranquilizer, Lee shoots Roy and the two men flee to an empty spot near Mulholland Drive. There, Lee stages Dosmo’s death by shooting him and blowing up their car. With his girlfriend Helga Svelgen in tow, Lee runs from the scene while Dosmo miraculously survives thanks to his bulletproof vest. Seeking refuge at the opulent home of affluent art dealer Allan Hopper, Dosmo takes Allan and his assistant Susan Parish hostage without realizing that Allan’s sister Audrey Hopper, a nurse, has been called to the house. On her way there, Audrey picks up Teddy Peppers, a struggling TV producer on the brink of ending his life.

Meanwhile, Becky wakes up to find Roy’s lifeless body in bed next to her. She quickly flees her home and signals for the attention of two passing officers, Wes Taylor and Alvin Strayer. While Wes is understanding, he begins to suspect that Becky may have more information than she’s letting on. It turns out that Becky had actually hired Lee and Dosmo to kill Roy for $30,000, but she had no idea they would carry out the deed in her own house. Meanwhile, Alvin returns to his residence located across from a golf course. As he starts to unwind, a stray golf ball shatters his window. Enraged, he grabs his revolver and confronts the careless golfers. Later that evening, while wrapping a birthday present for his son, Alvin comes across a letter from the police department informing him that due to complaints about his erratic behavior, he must turn in his badge and firearm.